Leo's gaze lingered on Dion.
It was not a passing glance.
His eyes remained fixed on his opponent, calm and unwavering, as though he were slowly dissecting Dion's fighting style piece by piece, searching for the most efficient way to deal with him.
Then—
Dion moved.
He surged forward with explosive speed, each step carrying that familiar pressure that had made countless spectators tense the moment they saw him fight.
Yet Leo did not move.
He simply watched.
Behind those heterochromatic eyes, his thoughts were already racing.
Dion…
As a magic swordsman, his fighting style is exceptionally versatile.
He could fight with a sword.
He could wield magic.
And, more importantly, he could transition between the two with remarkable fluidity.
If I treat him as nothing more than a mage, that won't work.
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then the better option is to restrict his movements…
I need to force him into a situation where both his magic and swordsmanship become as limited as possible.
Leo was not looking for a way to overpower Dion through sheer strength.
He was looking for something far more efficient.
A way to make Dion's own strengths less effective.
And the moment Dion finally drew close enough, he spoke with a hint of provocation in his voice.
"Are you still thinking?"
A sharp smile slowly appeared across his face.
"Be quick."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"You're the first person in my age group who has forced me to use Sword Aura."
The instant those words left his mouth—
Dion drew his sword.
Shing!
The blade flashed brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
Then—
Several razor-sharp blades of Sword Aura erupted from it, bright and deadly, tearing through the air toward Leo at terrifying speed.
Leo did not retreat.
He merely raised one hand.
Mana surged before him.
BOOM!
A massive stone wall violently erupted from the ground, rising like a towering fortress between him and Dion's attack.
The blades of Sword Aura slammed into it.
CRAAASH!
Rock fractured.
Stone shattered.
Fragments exploded into the air.
Cracks rapidly spread across the enormous barrier until, only moments later—
The entire wall collapsed beneath the overwhelming force of the attack.
But that was all Dion saw.
Because Leo was far from finished.
The instant the wall crumbled, Leo extended his hand toward the ruins.
Then—
Dozens of pieces of shattered stone began to rise into the air.
For a brief moment, they hung there unnaturally, suspended by an invisible force.
And then—
They shot toward Dion like bullets.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The remains of the stone wall transformed into a relentless barrage of projectiles, attacking Dion from multiple directions at once.
Dion's expression changed.
He immediately raised his sword.
CLANG!
One stone was deflected.
Then another.
Then a third.
But the sheer density of the attack forced him into constant defense.
There was no easy way to block every projectile without eventually suffering an injury.
He twisted his body.
Deflected another.
Shifted his footing.
Blocked two more.
A fragment grazed past his shoulder.
Another smashed against the ground beside him.
Finally, after forcing his way through the barrage, Dion stepped back and took a deep breath.
Then he exhaled slowly.
It was becoming increasingly obvious.
This battle would not be easy.
Not by any means.
Dion raised his sword once again.
Mana surged through his body.
Then—
A powerful magical blade burst from the right side, tearing through the air toward Leo.
Its power was unmistakably that of a high Second Circle spell.
Leo's eyes settled on it.
He watched its trajectory for a moment.
Then his thoughts sharpened.
Most likely… this blade is only a feint.
The real attack will come immediately afterward.
From the left.
Rather than raise another barrier to block the incoming attack—
Leo moved.
One step.
That was all.
His body shifted just enough to slip away from the blade's trajectory.
The attack passed harmlessly beside him.
Dion's eyes widened slightly.
A flicker of confusion appeared across his face.
He clearly had not expected Leo to evade the attack so effortlessly.
As for Leo—
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Looks like… I was right."
At that moment, murmurs erupted throughout the audience.
"He's… actually fighting incredibly well."
"Yes, but this is strange."
"How does he possess that level of precision when casting magic?"
"Was he hiding his strength this entire time?"
"I've never seen anyone use magic with such precision before."
The discussions in the stands grew louder.
The longer the battle continued, the clearer one fact became to everyone watching.
Leo was not fighting randomly.
Every movement had a purpose.
Every spell served a function.
And every step was preparing the way for the one that followed.
Nothing was wasted.
Nothing was unnecessary.
He was not simply reacting to Dion.
He was gradually controlling the flow of the battle.
Meanwhile—
Dion's breathing began to grow heavier.
He exhaled once.
Then again.
With every passing moment, the exhaustion became more apparent on his face.
Leo noticed.
He observed Dion carefully for several moments.
Then he thought,
It seems he's reached his limit.
A faint smile appeared on Leo's face.
"It seems it's time to end this match."
Dion had reached the same conclusion.
He had realized that continuing to rely on Sword Aura and consuming such massive amounts of energy was no longer a viable option.
If he continued like this, he would exhaust himself before he could secure victory.
Therefore—
He decided to rely on the sword itself.
The energy consumption would be considerably lower.
Dion tightened his grip around the hilt.
Then—
He charged.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
His footsteps grew heavier as his killing intent sharpened.
Then he shouted,
"This will decide everything!"
The next instant—
Sword Aura flashed brilliantly along Dion's blade.
He was about to deliver the decisive strike.
But—
Suddenly.
Something rose from the ground around him.
Dozens of wooden pillars emerged one after another.
Dion's expression changed.
He turned.
One pillar.
Then another.
Then another.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of wooden pillars surrounded him.
They twisted upward and inward, rapidly closing the space around him and restricting his movements from every direction.
Dion stared in disbelief.
"What is this?!"
He tried to move.
But the space had already become far too narrow.
His expression twisted with disbelief and anger.
"When did you do this?!"
Leo's voice came from directly ahead of him.
Calm.
Composed.
Almost irritatingly so.
"When your energy began to run out…"
He paused.
"And when you began switching from magic to relying primarily on Sword Aura…"
A faint smile touched his lips.
"You gave me the opportunity I needed to set these traps."
Dion's eyes widened.
"That's impossible!"
His voice carried genuine anger.
"You didn't have enough time to do that!"
Leo looked at him calmly.
Then he answered,
"Isn't a genius someone who turns the impossible into reality?"
Silence descended for a fraction of a second.
Then—
Leo raised his hand.
Mana began gathering around him.
But this time…
It was different.
A faint blue radiance began to form.
Tiny sparks of electricity danced around his body.
Then a magic circle appeared.
A high Second Circle magic circle.
Lightning attribute.
The spell began to grow.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Its structure became increasingly dense as more and more mana poured into it.
The air itself seemed to tremble.
The sound of gathering electricity grew louder.
Bzzzt…
Bzzzt…
The expressions of everyone watching froze.
The murmurs vanished.
Even those who had been speaking only moments ago fell completely silent.
Every gaze locked onto the spell.
There was something frightening about the way it continued to expand.
It was not merely powerful.
It felt oppressive.
As though an approaching storm had suddenly descended upon the arena.
Leo raised his hand.
Then—
He released it.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The lightning spell erupted.
It shot toward Dion like a heavenly bolt descending from the skies, tearing through the arena in a flash of blinding blue-white light.
The entire battlefield was swallowed by radiance.
Dion's body convulsed violently.
Lightning coursed through every inch of him.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"M-M... impossible…!"
His voice trembled.
"It's impossible for that to be…"
His pupils shook.
"A Second Circle spell…!"
Then—
His voice abruptly cut off.
Dion lost consciousness.
His body collapsed.
...
Silence.
Complete silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
For a brief moment, it was as though time itself had stopped.
Shock was the first emotion to appear on the faces of the spectators.
Then came astonishment.
Then disbelief.
And finally—
Denial.
How?
When did Leo become this powerful?
How had he read Dion with such terrifying accuracy?
And that spell…
How was he able to cast it like that?
Questions collided inside the minds of everyone present.
Yet no one could find an answer.
The arena remained drowned in a heavy silence.
Then, finally—
The voice of the family steward cut through the stunned atmosphere.
"And with that…"
He paused for a moment.
Then announced clearly,
"I hereby declare Leo Dainhart the winner of this round!"
There were no cheers.
No applause.
Not immediately.
The audience was still struggling to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
Their eyes remained fixed on the unconscious Dion.
As for Leo—
He calmly looked toward Dion's motionless body lying on the arena floor.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Then he let out a quiet chuckle.
"Even though I only used Second Circle magic…"
His eyes remained on Dion.
There was a faint trace of satisfaction in his expression, accompanied by the slightest hint of mockery.
"And yet…"
He paused.
"You actually made me put in a little effort."